Bhubaneswar: A garage owner was gunned down inside his workshop by a man in Nayagarh district on Sunday evening, in what police described as a fallout of long‑standing enmity stemming from an elopement case. Accused Dilip Mantri (35) of Sidhamula village was arrested within an hour of the crime. Deceased Rabindra Nayak (25) was in his garage around 8 pm when Mantri arrived in a car. Witnesses said the two exchanged heated words before Mantri allegedly pulled out a country‑made firearm, commonly used for hunting, and fired at Nayak. According to police sources, Nayak was taken to the nearby govt hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.According to Nayagarh SP Suvendu Kumar Patra, “Deceased Nayak’s elder brother had eloped with Mantri’s wife in Oct 2025, allegedly with Nayak’s assistance. Since then, Mantri had been nursing a grudge and seeking revenge.”After committing the crime, Mantri tried to flee. “Acting swiftly on the statements of two eyewitnesses, we sealed all exit routes and formed a special team. He was arrested within an hour,” said Patra. Police are also probing the source of the firearm used in the killing.
